Matterhorn Views

The view from the middle of the street at the south end of Zermatt is a good as any. In the same area is a gondolla that goes up to the Zuri mid-station where you can swithch lines and get other views -- I wouldn't bother.

Thanks. My intent is to do a stopover in Zermatt, weather permitting, between Milan and Chamonix. Had not plan on staying overnight; rather, something to break up the train travel time.

For others reading here---don't let the quote from Rick about the "one-mountain town" put you off.

There is much more to the Zermatt area than the Matterhorn. It is a hiker's paradise easily the equal of the Berner Oberland, with 5 valleys and hundreds of kilometers of hiking and mountain biking trails. One can do a 2-week inn-to-inn/hut hiking circuit above town, with a mix of lakes, wildflower paths, and snow and rock. We're trying to find time to return and do exactly that.

For non-hikers, the trip up the Gornergrat is, IMHO, much better than the over-priced Jungfraujoch, and you don't have to spend 45 minutes in a dark tunnel to get there. The views at the top, looking down upon a vast glacier with eerie pools of blue meltwater, are spectacular. And you can walk back down if you want (can't do that at the Jungfraujoch).

However, going to Zermatt on a day-trip to see the Matterhorn is iffy. That mountain loves to hide in the clouds, and you won't really know about that until you get there. Even if you check webcams somewhere else, it may have changed by the time you get there.

But if you do get there and the mountain is "out", and if you have the time, the best view we found (among several days of hiking in different areas) was the classic view over the Stellisee, with the Matterhorn reflection. You have to ride the slightly unpleasant Sunnegga funicular and then hike a bit to get there, so it takes several hours in all.

You can also, as Ed said, see it from many spots in town, with the bridge across the river being another classic viewspot---if you can see over and past all the camera-wielding tourists.

We spent a night in Zermatt coming up from Italy on our way to BO. We really liked the town and it was not the least bit crowded in late May. It is a "one mountain" town but the Matterhorn is spectacular and the Gornergrat trip was enjoyable. We were very fortunate to have perfect weather. This was a great chance to see the Matterhorn but I have to agree the Berner Oberland is the perfect Switzerland and returning to Wengen is high on our travel list.

Thanks, everyone, for your insights. It is very helpful.

Lola, if I may ask, why did you find the Sunnegga ride unpleasant? Also, I hope to be able to do some hiking while I am there, as well as in the Chamonix area.

The Sunnegga lift is a funicular, but it goes underground---so no views, and it's noisy. A bit unnerving for someone with mild clautrophobia like me. But it is over quickly!

From photos I have seen, you can get great views of the Matterhorn over the Riffelsee too---just as nice as over the Stellisee, although Riffelsee is smaller. You can reach this one from the Gornergrat line (walk from the Rotenboden stop). A nice way to combine that with a hike would be to ride up to the top, enjoy the views, ride back to Rotenboden and disembark to walk out to the Riffelsee. You can catch the train again at Rotenboden, or continue hiking down to Riffelberg, or even Riffelalp . . . or even all the way down to Zermatt. I think we liked the section between Riffelalp and Riffelberg the best (we were hiking up, not down). Lots of people do hike all the way down from Gornergrat, but we were there early (around July1) and it was very stark and barren up there. Lower down there were lovely wildflowers and lots of green.

Be sure and hike the Grand Balcon Sud at Chamonix---that's a great hike. For a shorter one with a great lunch stop, head for Chalet de la Floria on the petit Balcon Sud. Here's a photo from flickr (not mine):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chaletlaforet/1093413751/

If you've never seen a hummingbird hawkmoth, you should see them there at work on the flowers.

Thanks Lola. I am very much looking forward to it.

After having been to Wengen, Mürren, Berner Oberland many times I was excited that my opportunity to visit Zermatt had finally come. However, when I got there I was underwhelmed to say the least. It's such a touristy place with little to none of the "Alpine Village" feel of Mürren. The views were also somewhat disappointing when compared to the scenery of the Lauterbrunnen Valley area...just no comparison IMHO.